Letters of recommendation vs evaluations? Forum

[heyhowdyhey]

All that I've seen regarding LS apps has to do with the LORs, but I haven't really seen anything regarding the "evaluations." On lsac.org they talk about how to add an evaluation as well. Do most law schools require an evaluation in addition to the letter of recommendation? Or do not a lot of schools require this?

[Hawkeye Pierce]

I'm unaware of any that require an evaluation. Many don't even accept them. Some recommend it, but I don't quite know what that means.

FWIW, I'm not bothering with them at all. I know almost no one did last cycle, and I highly doubt many will this cycle.

[jdMission]

Northwestern University Law School announced on its blog that the school would no longer be requiring letters of recommendation as part of the application process, but would instead allow applicants to submit an optional CPE. Similar to a questionnaire, the CPE asks “specific, focused questions” about your past professional performance. And given that Northwestern Law openly prefers applicants with previous work experience, this switch makes a great deal of sense. In the end, you can still submit letters of recommendation, but the admissions committee prefers the CPE.

Although we predict that it will take some time before many more schools require or show a preference for the CPE, you should always do your homework on your target schools, submitting the information each specific school requires, prefers and/or recommends.

Good luck to you.

[071816]